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150 Medina students make impact with service projects in community

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 May 2024 at 6:09 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Tylon Meland moves mulch from a Village of Medina DPW truck this afternoon as part of the annual Medina Jr/Sr High School “Mustangs Make an IMPACT Day.”

This group of students put the mulch in the garden area in front of the Village Office. They also pulled weeds.

The group also did weeding and edging at the Canal Village Farmers’ Market, and set benches in place at the market.

IMPACT Day is an optional event for students, but 150 volunteered for projects at the school campus and the following community sites:

  • Boxwood Cemetery
  • St. Mary’s Cemetery
  • Medina Dog Park
  • Boat Launch at Glenwood Lake
  • Medina Police Department/Fire Station
  • Orleans Community Health (Medina Memorial Hospital)
  • Canal Village Farmers’ Market at West Ave and West Center
  • Lee-Whedon Memorial Library
  • Medina Historical Society
  • YMCA
  • Canal Park
  • Canal Path
  • Medina Skate Park/Butts Park
  • St. Peter’s Church/Food Pantry
  • Shelby Fire Department
  • East Shelby Fire Station
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
  • Iroquois Wildlife Refuge

Logan Trillizio uses lopers to cut down a low branch at Boxwood Cemetery.

The community service projects originated in 2016 from the IMPACT (Influencing Many People As Concerned Teens) students with staff rallying behind the effort.

Medina Jr./Sr. High had a half day of school today and students volunteered to help with many projects.

These students clean headstones at Boxwood. Colleen McNeil is in the purple shirt with Veda Cogovan and RaeLynn Jones (with sunglasses) in back.

McNeil said it felt good to clean the headstones and see the transformation.

“I actually like this,” she said. “It’s very satisfying.”

Maya Anderson, front, and Madeline Mark work on cleaning headstones at Boxwood Cemetery. Both are freshmen. Mark used a popsicle stick to pry dirt out of the engraved letters on the stone.

Todd Bensley, a Medina teacher and member of Friends of Boxwood, said the students made a big difference at the cemetery, cleaning about 50 headstones, picking up numerous sticks and trimming branches.

“They chose to be out helping the community,” he said. “We’re very proud of them.”

Alexandria Drum, a ninth-grader, paints the perimeter yellow at the Lions Club Park sign. Students gave the site a fresh coat of paint and also pulled many of the small weeds.

Jasmine Acevedo Gonzalez, a seventh-grader, also helped with the painting at Lions Club Park by the canal. She welcomed the chance to be outside for a few hours instead of in the classroom all day.